Tuesday 25 November 2008

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Last Monday we received our results for the A2 (Journey of a 1000 miles) brief. Unfortunately I got what I feared, a referral. At first I was disappointed with the result, and annoyed with myself. I thought the project was perfect on submission date, however, after the feedback it was obvious there were things I had missed, which just goes to show no matter how many times you scrutinize your own work, you may still never notice the errors. It also proves, that it always pays to get someone else to proof-read your work, as well a yourself.

After some discussion, and sharing my result with other class members, it turned out, I wasn’t on my own, and most of group was in the same boat. In a way, this alleviated my embarrassment, and made it easier for me to accept my mistakes made.

The deadline for the A2 referral is on the 1st December. I have amended what needs to be done, I just hope it will pass this time.

The A3 (Sounds like a plan) brief is the latest project I am working on. At first I found it quite hard to digest what was required, but now things do seem to be falling in to place. This brief not only builds on what we learn't previous, but educates us on building and proposing a website for a client, for example: project schedule, goals, requirements, competitive analysis, and screen designs, etc.

Apart from the referral, everything at college seems to be going okay at the moment. Outside of college things are not going too well. Dues to cuts backs at work, I lost my job two weeks ago, so I am currently seeking employment. Its just a case of finding a job that fits around college hours. Hopefully something will come up soon.

Tuesday 11 November 2008

Industrial visitors

Last Monday, the director of the Design Mechanics Dave Pannell along with his employee Craig Burgess came in to the college and gave us a presentation. The last time I was in study we never had a presentation from an outsider, which I found disappointing, so you could say I was looking forward to the visit. From what I have heard its very rare such people visit colleges.

To be honest I was expecting two suited men, a formal presentation, and not a great deal of advice, however, it was quite the opposite. Dave was Craig were casually dressed, the atmosphere was relaxed, and both were more than happy to tell us about their work, explained the running of a design business, and answer plenty of questions, which we all had prepared in advance.

I was quite surprised by the amount of work the Design Mechanics turn over, the cheaper rates they charge, and how varied their work is. At a time when many design businesses are struggling or folding, Dave’s seems to be thriving, so it appears the credit crunch has gone in the his favour.

I found their presentation and advice very helpful, especially when researching, pleasing the clients, and not been so precious about our work, which I have been guilty of, on many occasions. It was great for people with industrial experience to come in and tell us the reality of the design world. This is what my last course lacked in. Hopefully there will be more visitors in the future.